If you’ve been to one cave have you been to them all? I don’t know. I remember that I went to Crystal Cave in Spring Valley, Wisconsin with my mom, my aunt, and my sister and cousin. I only remember that it was cold. I was probably 9 or 10.

What I would say to anyone about Carlsbad is that it’s worth the trip. If you’re traveling in the southwest it’s worth the trip to get there, and once there, it’s worth the trip down. Why do I say it’s worth the trip down? Because it’s a workout. And, in my opinion, not for the faint of heart both in the literal and figurative sense. The elevators at Carlsbad have not been functioning since last fall and probably won’t be functioning again until this summer sometime. What that means is handicap people and elderly folks are out of luck. There are areas of the caverns that are handicap accessible if they can get down to the bottom of the cave by elevator. Without the elevators each visitor is faced with a steep 800 foot vertical walk down on a switchback path. And a return trip up the same steep path. As I said, it’s a workout but I’m glad I made the trip because it’s like no place I’ve ever seen and I think that would be true for most.

Trying to take pictures down in the caves was a trick I couldn’t figure out. The lighting that has been developed in the caves to allow and enhance the viewing and enjoyment of this unique place plays all kinds of tricks on your flash. Honestly, I took a lot of pictures in the caves and deleted most of them. Here are a few that “survived” for your amusement.

Lucky for you there are tons of great photos on the web. The place is amazing.

Brantley Reservoir State Park outside Carlsbad, NM.